Two Worlds, So Close Together, Yet So Far Apart
by Yurutono
Summary: Umi Sonoda, an elf from a prestigious family with a rich lineage and widely recognised. Kotori Minami, an alone faun with a non-existent family who might as well not be alive. When these two meet one day, it changes the course of both of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Umi's world was one of grandeur, a world rich with possibilities and one with little struggles. Kotori's world was one of unrest, hardship and fleeing. Even if the two worlds felt so far apart, they were so close together.

Umi's world was the elves' world. Perfect, or as close to the word as you could get. Kotori's world was the faun's world. Difficult and filled with fear. But the worlds clashed often, in disastrous ways, but only for the fauns, they were seen as game, sub creatures. And that was just the way it was for them.

The fauns had little power to fight back, their numbers having dropped and with the superior skills of the elves, they had no choice but to run, what else could they do? This was the same in Kotori's case, always in hiding, always in fear. Accompanied by no one, there was only one thing for her to do. Survive.

The elves had no such worries. A civilised society with a prestigious class system in place, the elves were happy, and few considered the fauns a worthwhile ethical issue to talk about. They were game; the elves were the hunters, what else mattered?

The Sonoda's family social status was extremely high, top archers raised for generations to an almost unattainable status and Umi took pride in that, but she couldn't help but feel that she was brought into a loveless family to merely continue the family name. She was treated to the best and she was slowly beginning to build up her skills to become the best archer in her family. The Minami family had almost been wiped out many years ago, but in a stroke of luck, Kotori had survived, but fauns knew how to live alone and in the wild, they'd been taught and it was instinct.

These worlds could not have been further apart, yet so close together at the same time.

* * *

Umi had taken it upon herself to practice in the forest this afternoon. Taking out her oaken bow, carved intricately and engraved with her initials, and a carefully crafted leather quiver, equipped with identically made arrows, with strong steel heads and delicate feathers.

Giving one last look inside the house, she left hastily. Even if her family had a huge reputation, she couldn't help but feel disjointed from it. They had different thoughts and different morals, particularly with the fauns. With her thoughts nowhere near at ease, she ventured into the forest and readied her bow.

She was sensitive to the slightest movement around her, especially when out at this time. There was danger in the woods, whether it was predators, or a violent faun. She began to shoot her arrows, plugging them in the trees with significant enough force, quickly and efficiently. Letting out a sigh, she lowered her bow and scuffed her foot on the grass, and suddenly…

 _Snap._

It was only a quiet snap, but it was definitely enough for her ears to pick up. She was instantly back on guard, readying an arrow in her bow and raising it towards the sound. "Come out."

A high pitched squeak came from behind the bushes, and she could hear whatever was there taking a few small steps back, before it poked its head around the tree. Umi could tell instantly from the horns that it was a faun. Kotori's eyes widened at the sight of the bow and she quickly hid again, her fear getting the better of her as she let out a small whimper. She wanted to run but something kept her frozen in place.

Umi began to skirt around the edge of the tree, but she lowered her bow. This scared looking faun couldn't be a threat, could she? Letting out a sigh, she decided to try to calm it - no - her down. She didn't know what prompted her to do this. She should be killing her on sight, as she'd been taught, that the faun's life meant nothing and she was to enjoy the hunt, but how could she? The faun was scared. But Umi supposed she would be scared too if her race had been hunted down as enjoyment for years and years.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"I-I don't know i-if I should believe you..."

Umi stopped before she had fully skirted the tree. How was she to do this? She wasn't particularly diplomatic. As she bit her lip, she decided to take a gamble. She placed her bow gently on the grass behind her along with her quiver and slowly skirted round so she could finally see the faun fully. She could tell the faun had seen some hardships, her clothing dirty, ragged and patched up and only covering more important areas, while Umi always looked neat, well presented and clean, and her clothing giving off an impressive air of superiority, even amongst others of her own kind.

She could tell she was in a state of pure fear, shaking slightly and extremely jumpy from the way her eyes were darting around. Umi wondered what she'd possibly seen to make her act like this in an elf's presence, but she wasn't sure she truly wanted to know.

"I'm unarmed."

"W-why are you not...? I mean... Y-you should've... Y-you would've..."

"Killed you?" Umi's frown deepened, "I have no reason to."

At this, Kotori straightened a bit, her trembling not as violent as before. "B-but you're an elf... E-elves kill fauns..."

"Well... I don't. I have no reason to and I don't plan to kill any fauns. There's no pleasure in it."

Kotori was at a loss for words. She couldn't be sure if Umi was lying, but something told her she wasn't.

"What's your name?" Umi asked, out of sheer spontaneity. She was curious about her, she wanted to know more, but... She didn't know why.

"K-Kotori... Kotori Minami..." Came a shy response. Umi would've thought she would've protested and refused, but rather she'd responded quite quickly.

"I'm, ah... Umi Sonoda." The two stood in an awkward silence, finally punctuated by Umi's voice. "I should probably be going... Before my family begins to search for me."

Kotori nodded in understanding as she watched Umi pick up her bow and shoulder her quiver. Kotori couldn't help but admire the intricate craftsmanship on the bow, as well as admiring the elf it belonged to. But she couldn't think in such ways, what was her mind making her think?! With a quiet sigh, Kotori waved a small goodbye to Umi as she disappeared back in through the trees from which she came, leaving Kotori there in a stunned silence.

What had just happened? It was a miracle she was alive at all in her mind. Elves were hunters, no - killers, right? So why was this one different? And why had she talked to her in such a way that mind her feel calm? It… Shouldn't have felt right, but it did. And she couldn't help but wonder if Umi would be in the same place tomorrow.

* * *

Okay, so this is my first Love Live fic, actually, my first fic ever to be honest. So forgive me for not being the best writer to grace this site ^^;

I apologise for any mistakes I may have made, any formatting errors or whatever and I apologise if the chapter is too short or something like that.

But regardless, I hope you enjoy this KotoUmi story if you're going to keep on reading future updates. Feel free to give constructive criticism and point out any mistakes I've made, because there is more than likely going to be a few in this.


	2. Chapter 2

Umi had often found her thoughts wandering for the rest of that day, throughout dinner and at night. She found it difficult to drift off and couldn't help but wonder about Kotori's wellbeing. It was safe to say that she didn't have a proper home, but Umi had never exactly taken her life and status for granted, especially when fauns were brought up. Unfortunately, the only time a faun ever came up in conversation was a boast about killing them typically, and that's when she had to feign interest.

After a rather restless night, Umi remained relatively tired throughout the day. Not that she had much to do regardless, at her age she didn't have many responsibilities, other than staying out of trouble and attending the occasional party, or gala perhaps in order to keep up family appearances. She didn't particularly have any quarrels with this, just so long as she wasn't in the spotlight for huge amounts of time.

She went out to train every day at the same time, although she was very flexible with the time coming back. She felt somewhat bad for leaving Kotori so early, even though she knew that she could stay for far later. It was probably due to the awkward situation the two were in, having introduced themselves, but they obviously didn't have anything to talk about. She wasn't even sure if they had anything in common.

Setting out once again with her bow and quiver, she did realise, in her hurriedness, she'd forgotten to take her arrows out of the trees. Not that anyone would notice, the family had enough arrows between them. Heading out to the same spot as before, she saw her arrows were still lodged in the trees. But taking them out one by one, she noticed one was missing. Raising an eyebrow, she slid the rest back into the quiver. One arrow didn't really matter, but that didn't stop her from wondering where it went.

She began to practice as normal, but she was keeping an eye (and ear) out for Kotori. She didn't fire her arrows off as fast, due to her sleepless night and the fact that she couldn't deny to herself she did want to see Kotori again. As she gathered up her arrows, Kotori's head poked around the tree, causing Umi to jump slightly, putting one foot behind her, before Kotori's eyes widened and she began to apologise profusely.

"A-ah, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

"No, it's okay really… I just wasn't expecting it…"

As soon as she finished her sentence, Umi realised that that was essentially the same thing, not expecting it did cause people to jump after all. Not that that mattered. Kotori nodded once.

"I'll try not to surprise you next time."

So, there was going to be a next time? Umi merely let a small smile grace her lips.

"Mm, that would probably be for the best." Just then, Umi saw something in Kotori's hand. "Ehm, is that…?"

Kotori tilted her head momentarily before remembering what she had and sheepishly handing it over. Umi's missing arrow.

"Aah, I'm sorry, I just-!

"It's fine, you don't need to explain I suppose…"

Kotori handed her the arrow and she slid it back into her quiver. While she was curious about her reasoning for taking it, she thought that perhaps she'd used it in some way. Hunting maybe? But the arrow was clean. It was possible she did have a way of cleaning it, but it didn't matter too much, she had it back. It wouldn't have even mattered if she wasn't given it back at all.

There was a slight awkward silence, similar to the one that had occurred before Umi had hurried off in an attempt to break it. After all, neither of them were sure what to talk about. They were supposed to hate each other, but it didn't seem like either of them did. Finally, it was Kotori who broke the silence.

"Umi?"

"Y-yes?"

"What's it like?" Kotori's eyes shifted off to the side, avoiding Umi's gaze as her hands shifted behind her back.

"What's what like?"

"You know, living… There?"

"Oh… Well, it's… Fine, I suppose..." Umi knew she was lying and she almost felt like she wanted to spill her actual thoughts on her home life. What she was tired of, what she really wanted, but there was still a small part of her that didn't quite trust Kotori, but then again, what was the point of hiding things from her? She doubted she had anyone to tell and it's not like there was going to be any social repercussions for her.

"So it's normal?" Kotori had sensed that she was hiding something, after all, Umi had never been good at bluffing.

"Normal is not the word I would use." She was giving minimalist answers, but Kotori for some reason wanted to carry on digging.

"What do you do exactly?" She tilted her head.

"Well I... Train, attend parties and such, uphold the family name and that's about it..." She sighed quietly as she began to betray things about herself. Now that she listed them, she realised how monotonous her life was. What was the point of class and status anyway? Family name meant nothing to her, she maintained the belief that it's your actions that make you who you are, rather than whatever your previous family members did to put you on a podium before you were even born.

Kotori nodded and leant against the tree, letting out a small sigh. "It sounds nice…"

Umi's mouth pressed into a line as she remained straightened. She wasn't selfish, but she couldn't help but feel like she, and her family, definitely didn't deserve what they had, even more so in Kotori's presence. "I… Suppose it is. It doesn't usually feel that way though."

Kotori sighed again, louder this time as she slumped down the tree and let her head loll. "It must be kinda easy though, right?"

"Not exactly. There's a constant pressure on me." Umi sat down as well, in a less lazy manner. She sat cross legged whilst Kotori had her back supported by the tree.

"Like what?" If Kotori had a slightly different tone of voice, it would sound like she resented Umi for her species and position, but she spoke in a kind manner, which eased Umi's mind slightly.

"If I say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, any variation of that, I could cause a scandal and my family could be shamed. I don't want that."

Kotori nodded as she watched Umi's face. It betrayed more than a hint of hurt and Kotori noted that Umi certainly wasn't the best at concealing her emotions.

"It's lonely though… It's difficult to make friends with the lower class, and my family's friends are only made for convenience, not for actual friendship." Perhaps this was the reason why Umi had so easily opened up to Kotori, because she longed for a connection with someone that wasn't already a bloodline relation, or completely fake for image purposes. Kotori for some reason was providing this connection without pushing her away, and Umi had no clue _why._ If she had an ulterior motive, Umi had no clue what it could be.

Umi had just realised Kotori was no longer slumped against the tree, but rather she was leant forward and trying to meet her gaze, as Umi had her head lowered in slight sadness. She'd only met her yesterday. So why was she being so open and why was Kotori just nodding and taking it in? From what she knew Kotori had it far worse than her. But she felt it wasn't appropriate to ask her about anything, even if Umi had just been questions. Umi's problems were mainly just gripes about monotony and loneliness.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I've been just ranting and talking at you..."

"It's fine, if I wasn't prepared to listen I wouldn't have asked." She gave Umi a warm, reassuring smile, that caused her to look up a bit, her head no longer hanging slightly. Then, her hand moved on top of Umi's. Umi's hand tensed underneath Kotori's before a quick relaxation. Umi couldn't stop herself from blushing slightly and she avoided Kotori's eyes. But she didn't break off the contact.

Kotori's hand moved once again, working its way into Umi's and she intertwined their fingers, causing Umi's blush to deepen. Only now did she look up at Kotori's face, and her heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. She couldn't help but wonder if this was friendship, or something else.

Suddenly, a voice came through from the tree behind them. "Umi?"

She recognised it as her father and sadly remembered she had a party to attend and she'd taken longer than usual to get back. But before she could apologise, Kotori had already jumped up, and, muttering a hasty goodbye, she fled into the forest before Umi could react. It took a moment for her to register as the sound of Kotori's running had faded and with a small sigh, she stood up again, shifted her bow awkwardly and turned towards the voice that had called for her.

"I'm here. I just lost track of time, that's all."

"It's fine, we still have time to get ready." Umi's father didn't give her a second look as he turned back through the trees, not noticing her one last glance behind her where Kotori had disappeared. With a short, near inaudible sigh (out of earshot of her father of course), she began to follow him.


	3. Chapter 3

Umi had found herself trying to drag herself away from her attachment to Kotori over the next few weeks, but she couldn't bring herself to actually leave her with no explanation. She knew it was bad, in fact, she was even shirking her training, as Kotori was already there every time she arrived at her usual spot. She wasn't complaining though, she supposed.

She was completely stumped by her fascination with Kotori, after all, with such a complicated relationship between their two species, you would expect there to be bad blood. She wasn't even sure if fauns had previously had enough time to talk with an elf for a large amount of time before an arrow was sent through their body.

The routine was the same, Umi had headed out punctually once again to go and see her (she'd began to associate going out with going and seeing Kotori rather than actually using her bow and arrows). She could see Kotori already through the trees, at which she frowned at. What if it wasn't her that came through the trees? What if someone had even the slightest glimpse of her? She passively nudged a branch out of her way, feeling it brush against her head slightly, but that didn't bother her.

"Umi!" The faun greeted her cheerfully whilst beaming and Umi couldn't help but let a smile flicker on her face before she intended to tell her off.

"Kotori, it would leave me more at ease if you didn't keep yourself in plain view through the clearing like that…" Umi had intended to sound a bit harsher, but Kotori's expression changing into a frown showed it had certainly gotten her point across well enough.

"I'm sorry Umi, but no one comes around here other than you or me anyways…"

"But we don't know that no one ever will, so please, just… Try to keep hidden until I'm here, okay?"

Kotori sighed and then nodded. She had no reason to argue after all. "All right Umi… For you."

Umi's expression softened and then she in turn smiled. "Thank you."

"Ah, Umi, you have a…" Kotori gestured towards Umi's hair. "A leaf, i-in your hair…"

Umi brought her hand up and was about to feel around for it, but Kotori had already stepped forward confidently, carefully plucked it off of her and let it slip out of her hand to the forest floor. But she didn't step away, and instead, her hand moved back, stroking across her hair and then cupping her cheek, all whilst Umi remained rooted in place, a blush spreading across her face. And with that, Kotori leant in, and Umi's slightly shaky hands found their way to Kotori's waist. The two of them closed their eyes and there, their lips met. It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt much longer to the two of them. When they finally split apart, Umi became aware about how she'd clung onto Kotori's waist tighter. She cleared her throat and then retracted her arms, taking a small step back and scratching the back of her head.

"Ah, s-sorry, did you not like i-"

"No, no, I'm just a little bit… Shocked… I-it's fine…" Umi bit the inside of her cheek, the feeling of Kotori's presence still on her lips. She'd averted her eyes away from her, she wasn't sure if it was from shame or something else. But why would it be shame, after all, it wasn't like anyone had seen them, but her burning face made her feel like everyone in the city had bore witness to it.

Kotori, on the other hand, had found her reaction, well, cute. She took Umi's hand gently and then smiled when she looked up at her in response."Umi," She gave her hand a slight squeeze and Umi finally looked back to her, "Do you want to forget about it?" She asked gingerly.

"N-no!" She replied louder than she intended and she quickly ran her her hand through her hair. Shame and embarrassment fought against bliss in her mind and she could never pinpoint which one was winning out.

In one of their previous talking sessions, Umi recalled in a hurry Kotori's interest in her archery skills, she'd seen her use them before after all. "A-ah, hey, Kotori, didn't you say you were curious about this?" She took the bow off of her back and held it in one hand. Kotori appeared to be a bit thrown at the sudden shift away from what had previously happened, but she knew it would be rude to not answer or just deflect the question. "Mm, I did…"

"D-do you want me to teach you a bit perhaps?"

Umi observed her expression brighten, putting her at ease. "Yeah, that would be great!"

Umi nodded in response and smiled, handing Kotori her bow. "First off, hold it like you see me holding it, yeah? Aimed forward." She did as she was instructed, before Umi swallowed her shame and came up behind Kotori, positioning herself and helping her get into a better position. "Use three fingers to hold the string, okay?"

"Mm…"

"Now, draw the string back, right back to just after your cheek, like…" Umi helped Kotori draw the string back, her hand on top of Kotori's at this point for better direction, or at least, that was her excuse. She then let go and looked at her form, taking a step back. Kotori seemed to be stronger than she looked.

"All right, you're ready to nock the arrow now?" Umi received a nod in response and she handed her the arrow. "Lower the bow first and then nock it, your index finger above the arrow, you middle and fourth finger below, yeah?" She guided Kotori's arms back up and drew the string with her. "You okay to aim on your own? One eye closed."

"Mmhm." She stepped back and let her be independent with her aiming, observing what she did. Kotori's arms didn't shake like Umi had somewhat expected them to, but rather her face was scrunched up in concentration and she found herself appreciating her all the more. Kotori finally let the arrow fly, snapping Umi out of her appreciation as the arrow lodged itself in the bark, to the right of the centre.

"Good, not bad for a first try." She retrieved another arrow and handed it to Kotori. "Just a little bit to the left. And keep the bow in place until the arrow reaches its destination, you might skew the arrow if you lower it too early." She received a nod and she did the same thing as before, except this time, the arrow landed just to the left of the centre. Closer than the one that skewed to the right, but not quite there. "I think I can hit this next one, Umi."

"I'll leave you to it then."

Umi drew another arrow from the quiver whilst Kotori waited, but she noticed something. Two lines were drawn across the wood just below the head and upon closer inspection, they went all the way around in a band. She always treated her arrows well, she never carved them, and these markings looked man-made. She glanced up at Kotori who tilted her head in response. "Something wrong?"

"N-no, it's nothing…" She hurriedly handed the arrow to Kotori who didn't appear to notice the same things she did. Kotori let out a small breath of concentration as she nocked the arrow, drew the bow and closed one eye. It took her longer to let the arrow fly, but when she did…

Bullseye.

The centre of the tree had been hit, exactly where Kotori was aiming and Umi was impressed. Was she that good of a teacher, or was it just beginner's luck? Kotori turned and gave Umi a sweet smile and she couldn't help but try (and fail) to stifle a blush.

"W-well done Kotori." She returned the smile and sighed quietly. "Do you want to keep on training?"

"Until you have to go."

"All right. Until I have to go."

The two of them continued to practice, Umi showing Kotori new techniques whenever she felt she was ready for them. Umi kept on watching her progress with a warmth in her chest and she always gave Kotori praise whenever needed and constructive criticism whenever needed. She couldn't bring herself to be a harsh teacher like her parents were to her.

When the time came for Umi to leave, all of the arrows were collected and her attention was drawn back to the arrow from earlier. It made sense that Kotori was the one who took the arrow, but what was the purpose of it? She didn't ask Kotori, the question on the tip of her tongue, but never said out loud.

"I'll be seeing you tomorrow again, right Umi?"

"Yeah, of course." Umi replied and before she was going to turn herself and walk back to her home, she bit the inside of her cheek. "H-hey, Kotori…?"

"Mm?"

Umi hooked her arm around Kotori's back and then kissed her squarely on the lips. Her grip wasn't too tight and the kiss wasn't too rough and when she pulled back, she became aware of how Kotori had returned the kiss and even wrapped her arms around her neck. With a slight pant, Umi released her from her grip and Kotori did the same.

"I don't ever… Want to forget."

"U-Umi…" Kotori let out a sheepish, quiet laugh and used her right hand to scratch behind her horn.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow."

And with that final sentiment, Umi turned and exited through the trees, a slight pang in her chest from leaving her and a blush burning into her face. She loved Kotori. And she was now sure Kotori loved her back.


	4. Chapter 4

"Umi, are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you not responding to me?"

"Because I don't want to participate."

"It isn't a choice."

"..."

"You have to participate. It's for the family name."

"And why should that have anything to do with it?"

"Umi, we've talked about this. You better watch yourself when you say things like that."

Umi growled almost inaudibly and she could feel a rage bubbling in her chest that she daren't let out. It was here.

The games were here.

Letting out a small breath to regulate herself, she looked her father dead in the eye.

"Just because you participated and so did mother doesn't mean I have to. I'm sure people are falling over themselves for even the slight chance to be a part of…" She felt a shiver run up her spine. "The players."

"They're called hunters, Umi," She clamped down on her bottom lip before she retaliated. "And if you don't take part, we're going to lose a lot of things. It would be a scandal. None of us want that. My ancestors have built this family and I am not going to let it fall just because my own blood won't take part in something she should have no trouble taking part in, understand?" His tone had a harsh edge to it, devoid of any affection, if there had been any in the first place.

"I understand. Now leave me be, please…"

Her father looked down at her and gave her a curt nod before he turned and shut the door to Umi's bedchambers rather roughly. When she was sure he had left, she felt like screaming, like crying, like breaking anything she could in the room. The games… She grabbed a fistful of her own hair at the roots, ignoring the pain and she sat on her bed. Why did they have to be now? Why did they have to be so soon, and how could she have forgotten the time was nearing?

And worst of all, she had to take part. She was to be a player… A hunter in the games and she had no choice. She cursed her parents for not having another child she could shift this onto. Her father would remain adamant about this and she didn't doubt he would drag her by the ear and throw her onto the stage if he had to. With a sigh, she let go of her hair, standing up and leaning on the windowsill to look over the forest. She was out there somewhere and she had to warn her, she couldn't let her get caught.

It was already late, but Umi didn't feel like sleeping at all. All she wanted to do now is run into the forest and look around for her. Look for Kotori. She would be lying if she said she never thought about living in the forest with her, but that would be a restless existence. They'd send out search parties and they would be constantly on the run. It seemed like an impossible relationship and Umi couldn't figure out a way to make it work.

With a sigh, she collapsed on her bed anyway; her face buried in her pillow and she just wanted to cry. But she was a Sonoda after all, and Sonodas were not known for their tears. It seemed like an eternity to her, but she eventually drifted off into a not-so-restful sleep.

Umi hadn't been dreading the next moment she was going to see Kotori, rather, extremely apprehensive and all the more worried they'd be found. With a sigh, she knew she had to, or else Kotori would worry. She'd taken her bow out again, as to not arouse any suspicion and headed off to the designated area she was sure that she would know the way to even if she was blindfolded.

Kotori greeted her with a tight hug which she gladly returned and the close contact made her feel a lot better before her mood plummeted once again at even the slight reminder of what she had to do. And she had to tell Kotori about it. That was undoubtedly going to hurt.

Kotori noticed the tenseness in her body, yet it also felt slack and lethargic, she pulled back slightly so she was face to face with her. "Is everything okay?" When she didn't respond quickly enough and her eyes glanced away, she gave her a more concerned look. "Umi?"

"I-I er… Have some bad news…" Umi admitted sheepishly, her hands on Kotori's sides. She blushed profusely at the way she was being held and the way she held the other, but she pushed the words out of her mouth as Kotori's head tilted and her eyebrows knitted together.

"What's wrong? Can't you see me anymore?"

"A-ah that might be part of it… Only temporarily though. Y-you see…"

Now came the hardest part. Having to explain to the very person whose species was being hunted that an even bigger, more garish event than normal event would be put on to glorify the whole act.

"Every few years, the people in my city hold a… A hunt. An event is put on where the most prominent figures in society are supposed to… Hunt down fauns for publicity…"

Umi then heard Kotori mutter something along the lines of, "So that's what happened to her…" Before she went quiet again to let Umi continue.

"Basically… Long story short is… I-I'm being forced to participate. I don't want to and it's really terrible and I'm sure my father's going to make me… K-kill just one… I don't want to Kotori, I really don't want to…!" It was at this point Umi realised she was indeed crying. Not sobbing, just shedding tears and Kotori hugged her tightly yet again and Umi couldn't find the strength to do any more than cry into her shoulder. When she finally pulled back, Umi found Kotori had joined her, probably halfly in empathy, halfly in sadness for her species and the brutal event.

Kotori rested her forehead on Umi's, bringing her hands up to cup her cheeks and wipe away her tears with her thumbs. "It's okay Umi. It's not your fault."

"I didn't want to be born in this world anyway! I-I never wanted this loveless family, I never wanted this damn bow and I never wanted to be part of such a disgusting lineage…!" Kotori wiped away more tears that had been shed.

"Shh, Umi. Don't think about it, don't say anything, okay?" Her voice was only slightly shaky as she tried to remain strong for the other. Umi didn't have the capacity to feel ashamed, nor embarrassed at this point. She was with Kotori, where she could finally be open. "I must have done something truly awful in a past life to deserve this…" She managed to mutter without sobbing.

As she calmed down and sobs stopped wracking her body, Kotori spoke again, "Are you feeling better?" Umi could only nod in response. "Follow me. I want to show you somewhere and I was saving it for a bit later, but… It seems like you could really use it now, so… Come on." She smiled gently and took Umi's hand, walking her through the trees and for around ten minutes there was silence. Umi couldn't think of a conversation topic and Kotori felt like it would be for the best if Umi was given a bit of time for now.

A few moments later, Kotori halted at a series of branches blocking up the way in a curious fashion and Kotori gave her a quick smile before pushing them aside, revealing a sight that took Umi's breath away and stopped her slacking.

Kotori had revealed to her a hot spring, slight amounts of water vapour wisping from the top of it, the tree canopy shading the area, yet the occasional ray of sunlight that reached through reflected off the surface and as the breeze made the tree branches rustle softly and change the trajectory of the rays, so a new reflection danced off of the water every second. Rocks lined the edges, some submerging in the water and they could conveniently be used as seats.

Kotori nudged her gently as she'd finished taking in the sight and led her towards the edge. Eventually, she let go of her and began stripping her clothes off, much to Umi's pure embarrassment and she averted her eyes and choked out, "Ko-Kotori, what're you-"

"Umi, it's a hot spring. You can't go bathing with your clothes on."

Umi swallowed and conceded to her point. "S-still…!" Kotori, it seemed, had grown up without nudity being a huge deal, unlike Umi.

"I'll look away if it makes you feel better, okay?"

"Y-yes that would help…" As Kotori turned, Umi hesitantly followed suit and she heard the other getting into the water herself and she sighed quietly, covering herself with an arm, despite Kotori's back being to her. She tied her hair up so it wouldn't get wet and swallowed nervously, slipping into the water as well beside her and immediately loosening up and Kotori turned to face her.

"It's not so bad is it?"

"Well… I-it might still be embarrassing after all…"

"Come over here then, I'll make you feel better about it, okay?" Umi flushed red at the sudden request, yet she complied. She found it difficult to say no, after all. She shuffled slightly closer and Kotori leant on her shoulder, wrapping her arms around Umi's waist, noting her well-preserved figure. Umi looked into the barely disturbed water and saw her reddened eyes. How much of a mess had she been in the morning anyway? She hadn't even bothered to brush her hair, it seemed, but either Kotori hadn't noticed, or she had noticed and she simply didn't care. It was most likely the latter.

Kotori shifted just then and planted herself on Umi's lap, much to her surprise and she immediately became flustered, unable to even move her arms to hold her there. Kotori didn't seem to mind however. She instead leant down and brushed her lips against Umi's, kissing her cheek, then over her jawline and she then kissed the tip of her ear, causing Umi to shudder and let out a small yelp. Kotori leant back again with a light giggle, "So they are sensitive."

"K-Kotori…! You can't-"

"Does Umi not want me to?"

"Well… I…" Come to think about it, it was more the shock of being kissed so suddenly and on an erogenous area for elves, rather than her actually not wanting her to do it. Umi sank down slightly, her nose just above water level.

"Hey, hey…" She stroked her cheek with her thumb under the warm water and Umi could have sworn that her head was emanating steam rather than the water. "I'll stop if you want me to." She looked up and her mind swirled at Kotori's expression. It was gentle and loving and Umi had never felt such affection in her life. She brought her mouth up over the water.

"N-no, it's fine… Please just… K-kiss me more…" She found herself craving more of Kotori's love, and she forgot all about the games, about the fact she'd have to go home back to an unloving father and a mother who was more dutiful than caring. She'd been taught that life was about honour and status, yet years of indoctrination were being undone by a faun.

Kotori smiled and gladly obliged, kissing her cheek, her jaw, leaving a trail down her neck and planting a couple on her collarbone. "Mmn…" Umi grunted softly and closed her eyes, and the other pulled back, massaging her shoulders. "Can I go further?"

"Mm? What do you mean?" Kotori giggled and then one of her hands broke the water's surface.

"Like this…" Kotori blushed softly and felt Umi jolt and tense underneath her as she touched her core gently. Umi tried her best to relax as Kotori gave her a chance to get used to the sensation and she opened her eyes. Umi was bright red ever after slight stimulation and her head lolled back a bit, trying not to make any noise.

Umi forced her head on straight and Kotori cupped her cheek, planting a kiss on her lips and holding her there, slipping her tongue into her mouth, as she pressed down gently and Umi shuddered, letting out a muffled groan into Kotori's mouth and her body went slack. She split off and stroked her cheek and let Umi recover.

"Do you feel a bit better now?"

"Yeah…" Kotori giggled and slid off of her lap.

"Good."

When Umi had finally recovered, she frowned. "I should probably be… Going back now." Her voice betrayed more than a hint of pain, as Kotori easily picked up on it.

"You'll be fine Umi, okay?" She gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "How long will… It last for and when will it start?"

"It starts in four days and lasts over the course of two days… I'll see you for the next three days and then I'll be expected to take part in the playe- Erm… Just the introduction with the reveal of who's taking part. Then I'll be prepared for the next day and…" Umi shivered despite the warm water around them and Kotori could tell she was on the borderline of a breakdown yet again, so she simply held her and whispered that she didn't have to say any more.

"You should go now, yeah? I'll be waiting in the usual place every day." Umi could only nod in response. Kotori turned her back again as she got out of the water, a small smile appearing on her face. She found it amusing how she'd just touched Umi in the places she didn't want her to see.

As Umi wiped some excess water off of her body, she carefully put her clothes back on, trying not to get them too damp before she gave one last glance towards Kotori, who had since rested her arms on the rocky bank of the hot spring and gave her a reassuring smile before Umi waved and disappeared back through the branches, which conveniently moved back to mask the spring.

Kotori sighed and looked back up through the trees, the sunlight peeking in and the water still steaming. She hugged her legs to her chest and could only think about how her life was about to be endangered even more so within a few more days.

 **Authors Note:**

Hello, everyone! Thank you for being patient with me, I know I must not be putting myself up to be the most reliable of authors, I must admit ^^; But I was pretty happy with how this chapter came out I suppose? And I didn't want to write anything too extravagant for the smutty part, because this fic obviously isn't about a sexual relationship, more of a loving one (plus I'm not too confident in my smut writing abilities, so I spared you some overly long drivel).

I will try my best to keep my updates consistent and with luck and an upcoming holiday away from school work, I should be able to finish this either before or after the new year! And I'd like to thank everyone who's sticking with me and those who have shown support, I didn't really expect to get a lot of attention if I'm perfectly honest.

I'm probably just rambling now, but I hope you'll all continue to stick with me through this!


	5. Chapter 5

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 93rd annual faun hunt!"

A disturbingly loud cheer rang out from the crowd and Umi fought off a the urge to wince and cringe. She had to keep her appearance up whilst she desperately thought of ways to fake or take credit for someone else's kill without actually doing anything wrong herself, but there was no way she'd be able to take credit, not with all of the other participant's vicious bloodlust. Her mind refused to stop telling her that there was no way out of this. She had to do it.

"First, we will explain the rules! Firstly, all participants must start on equal grounds! Which means they all have the same amount of arrows and will leave at the same time. From then on, they are allowed to split off wherever they wish in the forest."

That seemed like a fair enough rule. It was too bad that they couldn't all start off on equal moral grounds, however.

"Secondly, violence against other contestants is strictly forbidden and can ever be met with legal force outside of the contest if necessary! Save it for the creatures that deserve it!"

Umi desperately wanted to block out everything, but finding that task extremely difficult, she resorted to looking over the other competitors. As her eyes flicked around them, she found that attention was trained on her. She was the youngest, but had the highest profile amongst the competitors. She didn't doubt that bets had been placed on the fact that she'd bring back the highest body count.

There were nine other competitors, three females, six males. She raised her head slightly to get a better look.

They were all from well known families, but that was to be expected. Not that she could name them all off of the top of her head. The majority of the men were tall and heavy set and if their stories spoke for them they were supposedly honourable men, but they were here now on the stage so she decided that those stories were likely exaggerated. One of the men looked relatively old, yet his figure did not slouch or show signs of weakness. But his grey hair and dull eyes told Umi he had seen a lot in his lifetime. His family name was Yazawa if she remembered correctly, well known for speaking a language long since dead and gone from the city, but it was passed on throughout the family for preservation. But if she also recalled, he had children. Why weren't they taking part?

' _Maybe he's saving them for the year I won't participate so he gets more family attention.'_

"Thirdly, competitors must find their own method of survival overnight and they are not allowed to bring anything into the forest with them other than their bow and arrows! You may think that this might be easy, but we should all remember the events of the 84th games…"

Ah, the 84th games. Even if some weren't old enough to remember, the tale was well known of one elf disappearing. When a search party was sent out, his body was found with his throat slit and the word, 'MONSTER' carved into his arm, with an arrow coated with dried blood taken from his own quiver. Umi found herself agreeing with the rather brutally inflicted message.

"And finally, each competitor will be provided with different coloured arrows, to differentiate whose kill is whose. Which also means, the competitors are not allowed to remove arrows or replace them with their own colour. When the search parties are sent out and the bodies recovered, the competitor whose colour is the most prominent will be the winner!"

Umi most definitely would not call it winning. Even if the person received a generous sum of money and recognition throughout the nation, she still couldn't bare to think about what cost you paid. Many didn't care about that price because it was simply not physical. And some valued their mentality more than others.

One of the two other female competitors caught her attention as well. Her family's social status was elevated almost to her level, but was only slightly lower because of a scandal, later proven false, about the family's business. Nishikino was the name that came to mind. From what she recalled, she had a daughter, but she wasn't within the age constraints for the competition. Umi was only just allowed in herself.

Now that the rules had been covered, the introductions began. She didn't particularly want to know everyone, but she did note that the two names she's recalled had been correct. When the announcer reached her, there was a considerable amount of cheering and she simply nodded in response, deciding to not say anything, just in case her mind and her mouth said two different things.

"Everyone, we thank you for coming out here today from your busy lives and hopefully this year will be the most action packed ever," He always said that, every single year, it was the same and in the ending ceremony, he'd always ask if his prediction was correct. The general consensus would be that it was, "And now, we move onto preparations!"

Each contestant was handed a bow of the same make, but adjusted to each of their body types and a quiver containing 24 arrows. Noting that her designated colour was dark blue, the shot another look through the others surrounding her. She could hear the audible thud of someone pulling a lever and stage shuddered and creaked as it sank downwards back to ground level. No-one reacted however.

"If you would all step up to your designated plates, we can begin the countdown and release all of you into the forest! Good luck to each and every one of you!"

The announcer raised his hand and began shouting a countdown from five which the crowd eagerly joined in with. Of course, the countdown was unnecessarily dragged out and all of the competitors, save Umi, had themselves in a ready position. Umi herself simply had her arms folded and her bow behind held over her body. It would either add or subtract charm points for the crowd, either that she wasn't taking this seriously, or she was confident enough in her own abilities that she didn't need to show off. In reality, it was neither of those things and was simply a mask for how much she was panicking on the inside.

When the competitors were released, most of them took off running or jogging. But Umi simply exhaled slowly and trudged towards the trees.

Now that she was in the trees, she could hear the distant roar of the crowds as the announcer's muffled voice mentioned something about the two day festival that would take place in order to not have the games filled with boredom, because of course, no one could tell what was happening in the forest until all the competitors came back and the parties were sent out to count up the kills.

As soon as she was sure she was far enough away from the crowds and the other contestants, she pulled her bow off of her back and slumped to the ground, leaning on a tree and staring up through the tree canopy and trying to quell her heart rapidly beating in her chest, yet she couldn't. What was she going to do? If she did nothing and got no kills, there would be a huge problem with both her father and public backlash. If she did something and got even one kill, she would feel disgusting. She couldn't do it and she knew that.

She pulled an arrow out of her quiver and examined the dark blue finish on it, before noticing something. She'd pulled out the arrow with two bands etched all the way around it. Kotori's arrow. Strictly speaking, it wasn't Kotori's, but for all she cared, everything Umi owned could be considered Kotori's as well. Deciding that she couldn't just mope around and sit for two whole days, she shoved it lethargically back into the quiver, picked up her bow and decided to head off. She had two choices: Head off into uncharted territory, or look around the areas she knew. But she knew she had little hope of finding Kotori that way, she should be smart enough to avoid there because it was relatively close to the city itself.

She must have trekked for hours, so much that her legs began to ache, yet she found herself not caring. She only thought about how lucky she was to not come across any fauns or other contestants. She was about to stop for a short rest, both physically and mentally when she jolted up after she realised that a soft voice sang through the trees. She found it quite relaxing actually. Deciding to follow the voice, she came to the swift conclusion that this was neither Kotori nor any of the other contestants. The other contestants had no reason to sing at all and she doubted that it had crossed their minds at all, rather, she knew that this was a faun. She didn't bother to ask herself what she'd do when she came into contact with them.

The voice certainly didn't sound like Kotori's. She was sure she'd recognise her voice, even if she had never heard her sing at all. Pushing past a branch, she froze and gripped her bow tighter as her mind was sent into a rush of choices she could make.

She could see a faun; a different faun to Kotori of course, but she was now faced with a few decisions. Kill her while her back is turned, reveal herself (she didn't know why she would do that), or she could simply leave. Umi tried to raise her bow, but she couldn't hold it properly for very long. Her mind was flooded with thoughts and she couldn't keep them down, no matter how hard she tried. She seemed quite content despite the situation she was obviously aware of. She looked like she took care of herself, her purple hair braided over her shoulder, her clothes carefully patched up wherever needed and her leisurely pace of stripping lines of bark off of a tree.

Umi decided to sheath her bow on her back and as she was about to continue on and leave the faun alone, she turned for a moment, murmuring something to herself that Umi couldn't quite make out and she spotted Umi, causing her to back up against the tree in fear. And Umi couldn't quite help but feel like she was the monster here, despite having done nothing.

Her green eyes shifted away from Umi and she grasped her upper arm, "A-ah…" Umi quickly panicked and held her hands up defensively,

"I-I'm not here to hurt y-!" She realised far too late that something, or someone had bolted behind her and proceeded to slam into her back and tackle her to the ground and by the time she'd recovered she was on her front, pinned and her bow had been yanked off of her along with her quiver. Her initial response was to struggle against her captor, but she could do very little as they had grabbed her hands as well.

"Nozomi! She didn't hurt you, did she…?" Her hold was definitely by no means gentle and whoever was on top of her pushed her arms and hands into her back causing a significant strain on her limbs and her legs could do little the way they were positioned. There was no way she could get out of this situation forcefully.

The purple haired faun shook her head and cautiously made her way over, mulling the danger levels of the elf in front of her over. It was true, she hadn't attacked her, but even so…

"What are you doing here?" The person pinning her down growled at her, poorly masked anger lacing her voice.

"L-look, I don't want to be here…!" Umi meekly protested and only after the words were out of her mouth did she realise how little of a reason they had to believe her.

"Bullshit," They spat out, pushing on her arms even further, causing Umi to since even further, "You're here to kill us, right? Why else would a pathetic creature like you be here?!"

"E-Elicchi…" Umi tilted her head up to see the one she now knew to be Nozomi wringing her hands slightly, "Maybe you should… Be a bit more gentle…?" At those words, Umi felt the grip slacken and she let out a sigh of relief.

"N-Nozomi… What else am I supposed to do here…?! I c-can't just… Let her go…" A hint of pain was behind the tone of her voice and Umi felt a pit of despair at the bottom of her stomach. She found herself wondering how she had been hurt by her kind. But if she was to listen to every faun's sad story, she expected she would be there for a lifetime.

"Please… I-I really don't want to… I…" Umi's voice cracked and she felt herself breaking into a fit of sobbing; the two figures on top of her and in front of her recoiling slightly in surprise. A grim silence fell aside from the crying now present, the two fauns having little clue how to progress in this situation.

Eventually, she felt the grip loosen and out of the corner of her fuzzy eyesight, she saw Nozomi moving the bow and arrow quiver away from her further and the pressure on her back was relinquished. She brought herself up so she was kneeling, but no further and she covered her eyes with one hand, the other steadying herself on the ground. "I'm not… Like them…" She choked out and the purple haired faun knelt beside her.

"H-hey, hey...Calm down…" She placed a hand on her shoulder and Umi tilted her head up, tears welling up and out of her eyes. The other faun approached around her to her front, but Umi didn't look up to note any distinct features about her. She swallowed hard and wiped off her eyes, shuddering as she forced her tears to finally stop.

"Can you explain to us why you're here?" The other faun remained stood and Umi couldn't bring herself to look up, sensing the hint of coldness that still shot through her voice.

"There's… An event that goes on every year i-in the city. Contestants are sent out… They have to go in a kill as…" She stopped for a moment to regulate her breathing, "A-as many fauns as possible… I-I was forced to come out here, I swear! I don't want to… I don't want to kill anyone!"

Nozomi nodded and looked up at the faun beside her, who sighed quietly and offered her hand to help Umi stand up. When she shakily took the silent offer, she was finally able to see whose gaze she'd been avoiding and she was honestly glad, because she didn't know how exactly she would've reacted to those icy blue eyes piercing into her as she tried to explain herself. She also wasn't quite sure how fauns kept their hair in such a nice state if they had to live in the forest constantly. But another thing Umi found curious about her was that she had slightly pointed ears, definitely not a normal trait for a faun, more to an elf, for definite.

She decided against mentioning anything in the delicate situation at hand. "Elicchi, she truly seems different."

"But… We can't just blindly…"

"Elicchi, I know how you feel but… I don't think those were crocodile tears, you know? I'm also pretty sure she had time to hurt me, and she didn't." Nozomi smiled gently at Eli and she opened her mouth to argue, but found no rebuttal.

"All right… But if we're keeping her around for a bit, I insist on looking after the bow and arrows." She didn't even wait for an answer before she went off towards the weapon. Umi silently nodded at Nozomi who turned her smile to her.

"Just excuse her, okay? She's a bit protective." She whispered out of earshot, looking over at the bark stripped from the tree. "Can you help me carry that? I'd appreciate it." Umi had no idea why Nozomi was treating her so nicely and gently. She was no compassionate being, she was in a horrible situation and she was stressed beyond belief, but Nozomi must have seen something to prompt Eli to go easier on her. Umi did recall she was no good at lying whatsoever. Unless it was to her parents, not that she did it often.

She could only nod and she feared any speaking on her part would result in another breakdown of sorts. Eli had since traipsed her way back over and was oblivious to their conversation and Nozomi gave Umi a small jerk of the head to prompt her to follow her to help her carry bark stripped off the tree and she went over to do so.

The walk was certainly short and she followed a little bit behind. What was she supposed to do? She had nothing to say at all and she couldn't help but feel she was wasn't welcome. It was more than a feeling actually, it was a fact. She occasionally glanced up to see Eli was giving Nozomi the occasional glance and she noted the height difference. It was easy to come to the conclusion that Eli was related to an elf one way or the other, but she didn't think it was her place to ask Eli directly. She was far too… Intimidating for that. Maybe she could get something out of Nozomi if the two had a chance to talk.

Arriving at a little gap between the trees was a small living abode, presumably temporary, comprised mainly of wood and leaves to make it a little more homely. A small fire pit was a little bit away from the shelter, dead but with plenty of ashes. ' _It makes sense that this is how they live, really…'_

"Just put it beside the pit, 'kay?" Umi nodded and did as she was told, squeezing her eyes shut because of the soreness caused by crying so often. When had she become so emotional? As she was knelt, she turned her head to see the two fauns talking about something out of her earshot, which she understood was fair enough. When they appeared to have finished, Eli strode over, crouching down on one knee and piercing her with those eyes that was so damn hard to look right back at, but Umi knew she had to stand her ground with Eli.

"I'm going hunting. I'm going to be using your bow and arrows, okay?" Umi cautiously nodded at her tone, "If you _dare_ touch her while I'm gone, I will tear you apart and I will not make it quick. Understand? I wouldn't have left you alone with her, but Nozomi insisted." Eli didn't even bother to wait for any vocal response before she stood up and trudged off and Umi could almost sense her hatred in the air even when she'd gone.

With a sigh, Nozomi waited until Eli had disappeared through the treeline and she sat down comfortably opposite Umi's side of the fire pit. "I'm sorry about her, you just… It's better to just leave her to her own devices… If you constantly bother her she won't warm up to you." After a short pause, Nozomi decided to continue at Umi's blank and pale expression, "So, what's your name? You know ours."

Umi swallowed dryly and croaked out, "Umi. Nozomi and 'Elicchi', right?"

"Don't let Elicchi catch you calling her that. That's sort of just my nickname for her. You should call her Eli to avoid any misunderstandings, yeah?"

"Right, yes…" She stared at the ashes and Nozomi spoke again.

"She's just cautious and she doesn't particularly like elves and well… Can you blame her?"

"No… No, not at all. But… There's just something that…" Umi trailed off and Nozomi realised exactly what she meant.

"Oh, so you noticed? She's a quarter elf and she's not happy about it either… Basically, she couldn't fit in with elves and fauns weren't exactly the most trusting of her either."

"There were interspecies relationships before?"

"Yeah, there was." Nozomi raised an eyebrow at the last part of her sentence, "Before? What do you mean by that?"

Umi's shoulders stiffened and she began to stammer out some kind of denial, protesting to say it was just a slip of the tongue, but she cut herself off. Nozomi had opened up to her, she supposed it was only fair to open up to her in return. "There's… Someone here, in the forest… They mean a lot to me." She looked up to see Nozomi's expression had softened and she smiled.

"What's their name?"

"Kotori."

"I hope you find her."

"I'm terrified for her though… What if I don't find her, what if I never see her again, or… Worse…"

"Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm sure you'll see her again, y'know, if the Gods have been putting you through some hardships lately, then surely they'll give you a reward soon." Nozomi's tone was kind, nothing like Eli's harshness was present and her expression was no mask of a smile, but it was genuine. So Nozomi truly believed her, then again, what reason did she have to lie?

"Thank you…. I mean it. It hasn't been a good month." Umi suppressed some more tears as dragging and slow footsteps were heard through the treeline and Eli soon appeared, dropping the deer carcass and wiping her forehead and Umi cast her eyes over the kill. Multiple arrow shots; sloppy; but she supposed whatever did the job, even if they did annoying dull and damage any arrows. Not that she was going to criticise. Eli cast a cold glare towards the two of them as she hooked the bow off of her back and planted it on the floor, pulling an arrow out of the quiver and kneeling down.

"Get the fire going and we can eat." She replied simply and curtly. Ordinarily, she would've been a bit more brighter and undoubtedly more affectionate towards Nozomi, but with Umi here she didn't feel safe at all. Not that they were ever safe, but her presence made her feel that it was even less so. At least Nozomi had convinced Eli to not do anything terribly drastic and if she was feeling nice enough to allow her to eat with the two of them, then Nozomi must have said _something_ to her. Umi glanced over to see Eli had their back to them, skinning the animal with an arrow.

As rocks were struck together and a fire was made from the tinder, Eli had finished her work, she mumbled something about how she needed to go and wash her hands in a nearby stream. Nozomi brought the animal a bit further over and hacked parts of the deer off and she noticed how Umi had averted her gaze.

"Not a fan of animal skinning?"

"Well, I'm just… Not used to it…"

"I suppose that's fair enough. I don't expect you to know anything about this."

"A-am I sensing bitterness…?" She questioned.

"No offence, but can you blame me?"

"I suppose not… You don't trust me, do you?"

"Well, I never said I didn't trust you. I knew you were being genuine when you told us what you were here for. In both cases. So I think I do trust you. I'm just a bit bitter, you know?"

"Right… Why did you want to talk to me alone, anyway?"

"I just wanted to get a figure of your character. First elf that I haven't had to hide from and she's not out to kill me."

"And you wanted Eli out of the picture because…?"

"Because she'd skew the conversation. Yes, she's bigoted against all elves and that sometimes makes her blind to the minorities that are actually decent. But her guard is up in all of the right situations. The minority doesn't excuse the majority. Forgive me for saying that."

"Forgiven. I'm not the biggest fan of my own race. Lately I've been thinking it would have been better for me to be born a faun and meet Kotori that way. It makes me wonder how things would have been different."

"Hm? That's interesting. Willingness to become an oppressed species for the sake of love. You are a curious one."

Nozomi smiled wistfully as Eli came back and the two fell into silence again; Eli sitting beside Nozomi, not even acknowledging Umi's presence.

Now that the fire was going, all three of them ate in what was essentially quietness and peacefulness. Eli stared into the fire, not casting a glance at Umi nor Nozomi. Nozomi gave her a few slightly worried looks, but otherwise mentioned nothing. Nozomi was the first to finish, so she told the two of them she was going to leave to wash her hands from the grease of the meat, leaving Eli and Umi alone. Umi couldn't help but catch Nozomi's little wink, as if to signal that she was going to be leaving the two of them alone for a moment.

The silence was deafening until Eli finally decided to speak in a fashion that wasn't entirely laced with venom at least.

"What's your name?"

"Umi. Nozomi told me your name."

"Good, so there's no need for tedious introductions."

As Umi waited for her to continue, Eli scratched at her neck and let her hand fall to the ground.

"The only reason you're alive right now is because of Nozomi. You owe her a lot more than you think you do."

"She doesn't seem like the kind of person to hold me to that kind of debt."

The corner of Eli's mouth twitched and her hand tightened over the grass. "Tch. I suppose you're right on that point." There was a short pause, "She means everything to me. If you'd have done anything, I swear-"

"I know, you would have drawn out my death."

"You have someone like that too, don't you?"

"... Yes. How did you know?"

"I don't think you would have reacted so badly before if you didn't have someone. So you're like my grandmother? An elf with the terrible fate of falling in love with a lowly faun. I feel ill just saying it."

"Ill? Why's that?"

"Because my blood is tainted and dirty. I may have the blood of a faun, but it's mixed with elven hatred and murderous intent. Nozomi found me trying to literally claw my own veins out of my arms. I couldn't take it."

Umi swallowed, not feeling like it was appropriate to respond vocally.

"I hate you, Umi. I hate my own blood and I hate elves. I curse my grandparents for their procreation and I curse elves in the name of my little sister. You're all dirt to me."

"I understand."

"Do you though? Have you ever seen a family member slaughtered?"

"No."

"Then how do you understand, Umi? Where does your moral compass point?"

"It tells me that you hold far too much bitterness and resentment for me even though I've done nothing directly wrong to you. The only thing you've said that can relate back to me is about my race. I don't own my history, I don't own what my ancestors did and I don't own what other elves have done. You're reaching for a reason to hate me. Do I hate you? Maybe a little bit. Maybe that's my own personal bias. Your blood might be tainted, but my blood is completely sullied. Blackened, dirtied, whatever you want to call it. Have I ever wanted to cut my ears off? Lately I have. I'm resented by my father for my reluctance to uphold the family values. My mother does nothing to defend me. My friends are nothing more than business and power connections. At least you can live with your loved one. The only one who listens to me and cares about me could be dead right now and I would never know until the end of… Of this..."

Umi inhaled shakily, but she couldn't stop now, Eli was listening and clearly stunned at her words.

"Gods, this 'festival' is killing me from the inside out. I don't even know what to do. I could go back with no kills whatsoever, but then I'd become a social outcast. I could go back with kills, but I would never be able to live with myself. I highly doubt Kotori would be comfortable around me then. Yes, you know suffering, I'm not denying it. But you didn't know anything about me, Eli. You didn't know a single _fucking_ thing. You don't know my inner struggles, what I have to deal with daily and you don't know how truly saddened I am to be in this world in the position I am right now."

"I…" Eli started to say something, but then Umi cut her off roughly.

"I'm fed up of this. Of everything. So you know what, Eli? Your hatred for me is mutual. I do hate you. I'm not going to kill you over it though. That's what makes us different. Am I the monster here? No, I'm not, but you see me as one. I'm clearly not welcome here. I know Nozomi probably wanted us to talk things out, but I can't see myself staying here if you want to stab me in the back. So, you know what," Umi stood up, pacing over, grabbing her bow and quiver full of arrows and slinging them over her back. "Nozomi?"

At receiving no response, Umi sighed. "I know you're listening in Nozomi."

With that, Nozomi peeked out from behind a tree with an expression that was mixed with a pout and concern.

"Nozomi, I thank you for your hospitality. But I have to go. I have someone to find."

"I'll take you somewhere you can sleep. I insist." Realising it was futile to argue with her, Nozomi sighed and took one last look at Eli, who was staring at the ground, shell-shocked and looking like she was on the borderline of a breakdown before she plastered an emotionless look on her face and strode off towards Nozomi, who gestured her to come along.

"You're going to have Elicchi sulking for a while, you know? I have to live with that."

"I'm sorry, it was more spontaneous than anything."

"It was an impressive speech though, I'll give you that…"

"I'm not sorry for what I said though."

"I'm not asking you to be. I suppose Elicchi needed that wake up call."

"Do you hate me as well?"

"No. I have seen loved ones killed, but… I'm not that judgemental of a person. Elicchi had a difficult time though, very difficult. I'm walking with you now to give her some time to mull what you said over. And so I can give you a comfortable place to sleep, of course."

"Right. Thank you."

When Nozomi stopped at a mossy bed of long, flat stones, she tested the softness by crouching down and placing a hand on it.

"It's not damp, I don't think any rain's gotten down to it lately. But this is pretty much the best kind of sleep you're gonna get, because I don't think you're in any mood to make a shelter and gather bedding and so on."

"Yes, you're right. I've had… Far too much stress for one day."

"Before I go, Umi…"

"Y-yes…?"

"Just promise me one thing. That you'll be safe. And that you'll find your Kotori."

"I'm afraid that's one thing I can't promise." Umi tilted her head down as Nozomi got closer and gave her a sudden hug.

"I know you can't. But it's just something to reassure me, y'know?" Umi had tensed as she felt Nozomi squeeze her sides and place her chin on her shoulder. Not too intimate, but not too distant.

"I'll try my best. On both counts." She felt a stinging sensation prick at the sides of her eyes and she soon realised she was crying, yet again. She hugged into Nozomi in return, who didn't split off until Umi's tears had ran out. It wasn't the loud kind she'd been through earlier, but rather the soft, melancholy kind. But she had to push on.

"I know we'll probably never meet again, but… Maybe in some afterlife, or in another time, or another world, we will. I'd love to know how your story ends."

"I only hope it ends happily…" Umi struggled to find those words in her dry throat and Nozomi pulled back, smiling at her one last time before she declared she had to go back to her now likely stormy spouse. As Umi watched her go, she swallowed as the coldness and the loneliness of the forest suddenly got to her, causing her to shiver as she lay down on the moss. Surprisingly, she fell into a deep sleep, dreading the fact that she had to go back to her normal world tomorrow evening. She soon plunged into the realm of sleep, her fatigue grasping at her muscles and her mind heavy with thoughts of Kotori, Nozomi and Eli.

 **Author's Note:** I have just been completely kicked in the stomach repeatedly by my classes. And this chapter was far longer than I had intended it to be. Whoops. Regardless, I had never planned for any of the other LL girls to be in this story, but this spontaneous decision kind of led to what made this chapter so long. I also only hope Umi's little speech didn't lose impact or whatever. This was finished at 12:15am and I am tired as all hell and I _still_ have another story to update (sorry to anyone who's been waiting for that!) but my writer's block seems to be smut exclusive right now. Churning out this chapter was a challenge, but now, goddamn, looking back on it, I feel pretty accomplished. A couple more chapters to go I reckon, and I can finally say I have finished my first ever fanfiction. I only hope you continue to be patient and stick with me!


	6. Chapter 6

Umi awoke to sunshine blaring in her eyes and a slight jagged sensation digging into her side. She must have twisted and turned in her sleep far too much and sitting up, she half wished she'd stayed with Nozomi and Eli. At least then she'd have something to wake up to, even if one half of it was hostile. At least she'd probably have something to eat that way.

But for whatever reason, she didn't feel particularly hungry. Umi brought out the compass given to her so she could navigate her way back to the city in time for the end of the festival, but with it, her thoughts lingered on her speech from the previous night. Had she gone overboard? Probably, but she deserved a vent that wasn't just sobbing she reasoned with herself and with that, she placed the compass back.

Climbing up a nearby tree, she checked the position of the sun and came to the conclusion that it was the morning, she hadn't overslept and she had plenty of time to think up of something to get out of killing. But she couldn't cling onto that hope forever.

Kotori wouldn't be close to the city, if she was smart and Umi didn't doubt she was. But there was just something in the pit of her stomach that didn't want to leave her be as she lowered herself back down to ground level. Taking a few cursory glances around her, she decided to move closer to the city, but she was running out of time. It was either find a faun and move in for the kill now, or face, well… Whatever would be waiting for her when she came back. No one had ever come back from the hunt without a kill.

But no matter how much she tried to steel herself, she couldn't do it. After all, the last time she'd been faced with a perfect opportunity, that turned out rather interestingly, all things considered.

As she began her slow, depressing march, she made a note to skirt around Nozomi and Eli's camp, not wishing to disturb them or face Eli after her outburst. Halfway through her walk, she heard a male voice cause her to jump out of her half awake daze.

"Sonoda?"

Looking towards the noise, one of the men she hadn't recognised initially pushed his way through the plants in his way, a smirk plastered on his face.

"... Tsunemori."

"Ah, Sonoda! You're the first contestant I've come across, but certainly not the first living thing, if you catch my meaning." As he laughed, Umi rolled her eyes, thankfully without him picking up on it. "So, how's your hunt doing? It's going well I hope."

"You'll find out when the festival is over," She bluffed. Trying to keep up her family's name and her demeanor proved to be a bit difficult, but thankfully he didn't call her out on it.

"Of course, of course, I have no doubts," Scratching the back of his neck, he continued, "I was just going to keep heading forward, but I was just wondering, do you think it's wise to head closer to the city now?"

A thought struck her suddenly. While she had all the desire in the world to leave this oaf to keep going forward, she knew that he would likely come across Nozomi and Eli's camp. She couldn't let him get close to them, because she knew well enough he would gladly slaughter them both without a second thought.

"Y-yes that is probably the best choice. It's the same way I was headed. "

"Do you mind if I carry on with you? If we come across any fauns we can have ourselves a little game, hm?" Umi shuddered slightly, but he took her silence as a sign that she agreed.

Tsunemori. Now that she thought deeper about it, the two had been introduced to each other at a business party by each of their parents and now that thought was present in her mind; she realised. Tsunemori was introduced to her as a potential suitor. But at least they were of a similar age, so it wasn't too strange. Come to think of it, she'd been highly oblivious to that fact the whole encounter. Even if she had realised, she doubted she would have chosen the man of her own free will. But that wasn't just down to one factor if she was perfectly honest. Not only would her opinions anger her parents, but so would her orientation.

"So, did you have a comfortable rest last night?"

"Comfortable enough."

Raising his eyebrow, he decided to continue to push a conversation, "How do you fancy your chances of winning?"

Biting her tongue and resisting saying anything too controversial, she replied, "I prefer not to boast."

"Fair enough. I like a woman who lets her actions speak for her." He took the opportunity to move slightly closer and in return, she returned the distance back to normal between them, not giving dignifying him with a response.

"... You're a cold woman, you know that, Umi?"

Only now shooting him a glare, she replied, "Call me Sonoda or call me nothing at all," Although out of courtesy on the day he had been introduced to her she had allowed Tsunemori to call her Umi, but she simply called him Tsunemori. He did try to get her to call him by his first name, but she insisted.

"R-right… You're a cold woman then, Sonoda."

"What do you expect from me then? I have too much pressure on me to be a ray of sunshine all the time."

"Hahah… That's true. But don't you think you should loosen up every so often? Perhaps after this is over you'd like to join me at a family soiree?"

Umi cleared her throat, annoyed at his persistence so she decided to humour him, "I'll consider it."

"See! Was that so hard?" Gesturing excitedly with his hands, he grinned, more to himself than at Umi, who rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking. Giving him a bit of hope was fine, she supposed, but what would happen when she had to act upon that?

Getting jolted out of her thoughts by Tsunemori's outstretched arm, she managed to stop before she bumped into him. "Hey, d'you hear that…?" His sudden serious expression quickly turned into a smirk, "I think we got ourself some game. Animal or faun. Ah, who'm I kidding? They're both animals."

Before she could say anything, he sped off into the tree canopy and Umi had little choice but to follow the impatient and, in her opinion, quite annoying man.

Tsunemori had slid into a bush, hidden from the rest of the lines of trees and Umi slowly made her way over next to him, still leaving a sizeable distance between the two of them. He glanced at her and put his finger to his lips, as he began to survey where he'd heard the noise. Umi wasn't paying to much attention. If it was a faun, she didn't want to watch as he killed them and she didn't want to kill them herself. And stopping him would be no small task.

"Hey, Sonoda," He edged closer and nudged her arm persistently, earning him a cold, hard glare, "Oi, don't get annoyed with me, I'm just trying to get your attention."

Really, Umi was quite amazed about how little manners he had. He seemed to be the typical spoilt rich man who had never quite grown out of his childish years, rather than the gentleman that was expected of him.

"You're not even gonna draw your bow? You're making this far too easy for me. So be it Sonoda." With a smirk, he drew his bow, peeking out through the bush.

"It's a shame really…" He whispered, "If she were an elf, she'd be quite attractive."

Rearing himself up in a flash, the brown painted arrow shot from his string, an aggravating smirk plastered across his face that Umi wanted to do nothing more than to wipe if off his-

As the bottom of her stomach dropped into the abyss, she realised something.

She'd never looked at the faun.

But she recognised their voice.

The yelp of pain and surprise, the desperate laboured breath as they clutched onto life.

It was undeniable.

It was Kotori.

Grief and fear quickly mixed inside her, melding and melting into a bubbling mass of rage, and before she knew it, an arrow was nocked and shot. Bits of her memory cut out, only remembering Tsunemori's pierced forehead, clean through his skull was an arrow, his expression as death took him and blood spattering over herself from his wound.

When she came around, her anger suddenly disappeared, leaving her a shaking mess of adrenaline and fresh blood.

' _Kotori…'_

She could still be alive. Clinging onto hope, she clumsily pushed through the foliage and dropped to her knees beside her, blood staining onto the grass and absorbing into the ground.

"Kotori… Please…" Umi's voice cracked, fighting back the tears that she had shed so many of already, but this was her biggest trial yet. She gently tilted her face closer to her, her eyes fluttering open, half lidded.

"U-Umi…" She tried to reach up with an unstable hand, which Umi tried to grasp gently in return, lowering it so she didn't strain herself.

"Please… Don't leave me… I don't want to be alone again…" Umi desperately begged for Kotori's life to remain, she wanted to be with her. "I should have done something… I should have… Made sure everything would be okay, th-that something like this wouldn't happen…" Tears fell finally, her body shaking in silent sobs.

"Don't say that… It's not… Not your fault, okay?" Her chest rose and fell and she fought against the urge to close her eyes and succumb, but the weight was getting heavier. As stabs of pain shot through her, she thumbed away Umi's tears, a bittersweet smile on her lips.

"I should have ran away with you, just something, just something…!"

"They would have found you… But please… Please Umi, I don't want to talk about what… Could have been…"

Umi looked up through the tree canopy, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to regain what little control she had over her emotions. She knew how to handle death, but now that it was being presented to her, face to face, its grip on a loved one, it was difficult. But she mustered up a smile. For Kotori.

"Tell me something pleasant… Nothing… Nothing sad… No more sadness, Umi."

Swallowing hard, she stroked her hand gently through Kotori's hair, tracing over her horns delicately, "You know, the flowers are blooming in the city. Reds, pinks, golds, purples, every colour imaginable."

"Yeah? Are there dark blues?"

"Mm, of course. I'll bring you some, okay?"

"Okay."

Kotori's hands settled on her chest and Umi's hands found her way to them.

"And during Winter, the lakes freeze over. The two of us can go skating."

"I don't think I'll be that good…"

"Of course you will. It'll just take some practice."

"If you say so, Umi." With a quiet giggle that ended with a cough, she murmured, "I'm tired, but I want to keep talking to you…"

"We can talk when you wake up," She paused for a moment, "I promise." It was empty, but neither of them pointed it out. "Sleep well, Kotori." She leant down, planting a loving kiss on her lips, ignoring the slightly metallic taste lingering in the other's mouth.

Kotori smiled up at Umi one last time, before her eyelids finally fell, the weight too much for her to fight against any longer, but the smile remained.

Umi began to cry again. But she didn't sob, she didn't make any noise and she knelt there over her lover's body. She gingerly touched her still-warm neck. No pulse.

She didn't know how long she had been there, kneeling on the blood stained grass. She ignored the cannon shot in the distance, signifying that search teams had been sent to count up bodies and find any remaining contestants.

Finally dragging herself upwards, Umi's attention was brought to a felled tree, abused by weather and splintered by its fall. Branches lay littering the ground and she moved forward to gather them without truly knowing what she was doing. Her body moved of its own accord and soon she made a bed of wood. Smaller twigs were placed around it as tinder and she pulled an arrow out of her quiver, trudging to find a rock.

Bringing it back, she began to strike at it, making a few feeble sparks before finally succeeding in ignition. As the fire began to burn, Umi took Kotori's body as if it were sacred, laying her onto the soon to be burned wood. Smoke rose through the trees, undoubtedly giving her position away, but she knew it was too late for her too. This was treason, what she had done was betrayal and murder. She only knew that her end would be far more drawn out and that no one would comfort her.

But she wouldn't let them take Kotori's body. She wouldn't let them toss it on a pile to be counted as a kill. It was no object to be treated poorly. It meant the world to her.

The stench of Tsunemori's rotten blood began to fade as the smoke took over and Umi knelt again, watching as her lover was slowly cremated. At least she would be at peace. She wouldn't have to struggle any more, to scrape at basic survival. The only problem was that Umi had no one to comfort her. There was something missing however.

Grasping firmly her arrows, she brought them out of their quiver, inspecting them before finding what she was looking for. The arrow with two rings carved near the tip. Exhaling shakily, she laid the arrow on the fire next to her. At least she looked serene. Content maybe. The only thing disrupting the tranquility was the arrow lodged in her torso, not that Umi could bring herself to wrench it out.

Sitting back, she stayed there. Hours passed as the ashes began to drift into the air, spreading over trees, leaves and grass and she was motionless. Not even the smoke blowing in her face, causing her to cough and choke could get her to move. The well of tears had dried up finally and all she did was stare.

Voices could be heard through the trees, snapping her out of her stupor.

"The smoke's coming from this way."

"Is it a distress signal?"

"What else could it be?"

"It's just Sonoda and Tsunemori left to come back, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Hope nothing bad's happened to them."

"I'm sure they can handle themselves."

Rising to her feet, she could see that this was it. The beginning of the end. Wrenching her eyes away from the nearly fully cremated body, she drew her bow and nocked an arrow, not quite pointing it at the direction of the voices yet.

"Sonoda? Tsunemori?"

"... I'm here."

"Sonoda? Ah, thank God. Are you okay? Is Tsunemori with you-"

At first glance, the scene before them would be confusing to anyone. An elf burning a faun's body, her eyes reddened from too much crying and tear stains down her face. This was the likely what caused the man's face to pale and his eyes to widen, "G-Gods, what's going on?"

Another pushed past him, taller, more strong and the very aura he exuded demanded authority. Ah yes, Umi recognised him. Akiyama. A high ranking general and one who was not a stranger to these games at all, always being one in the search parties and holding the highest kill count in the history of the games.

Umi wanted to spit on him.

"Sonoda… What is this…?!"

When he received nothing but silence and a cold glare, he snarled, "Do you know where Tsunemori is?!"

"... Behind the bush."

Jerking her head, he grit his teeth and stomped over, "Tsunemori?! Are you asleep?! You're normally much louder than this, so you must b-"

He stopped dead as he saw his corpse, dried blood trailing down his face, his eyes open in shock and more importantly, the telltale sign of a dark blue arrow protruding from his forehead.

"He's simply sleeping forever."

"Sonoda, you are to explain to me exactly what is going on here, or I will beat you within an inch of your life and throw you on the fire with this sorry excuse for a creature!" He barked at her, which she certainly didn't appreciate.

"Tsunemori killed Kotori, so I killed him."

She watched his facial expression contort, angry and obviously not satisfied with her minimalist response.

"Kotori…? Who are you referring to?" He asked, through gritted teeth, his fist clenching. He watched her gesture leisurely to the still burning pile of wood and the corner of her mouth twitched, seeing that she was nearly gone, nearly free of this world entirely.

"You mean to say that you know a faun personally?"

"Well, typically when you refer to someone with their first name you do know them on a personal level, general. So yes, I do mean to say that."

It happened within a split second, the back of his hand slapped her harshly on her cheek, leaving a bright red mark, but she refused to make a sound. She didn't have any anger left to retaliate with and she didn't want to stoop to his level anyway.

"And what about Tsunemori?!"

"I told you what happened. He killed Kotori, so I killed him."

She could have sworn that Akiyama was ready to explode, finish her off right then and there, but she felt no fear. What could he do to her that felt worse than losing Kotori? Not even losing her own life compared to that.

"So Tsunemori, a gentleman from a highly well regarded family, was killed over a lowly faun?"

"Tsunemori was no gentleman and Kotori was not a 'lowly' faun. He was worth less than her."

"You do know that you will hang for this Sonoda? Your name will burn like this creature's body is right now-" He went to stomp on the ashes, but Umi was faster. She held up her bow, aiming under the man's chin and he stopped.

"Touch her and I won't hesitate to kill you too."

The men behind the scene unfolding in front of them whispered frantically behind them, unsure of what to do. They hand'nt brought any weapons; they didn't think they would need them. "Has Sonoda gone insane?!"

"I think so, there's no way anyone would aim at the general and talk to him like that!"

"What should we do?"

"If we go closer she might kill him."

"Just stay back, stay back! Maybe he has things under control."

As Akiyama stepped back, her aim didn't lower. If she did, he would strike. "Tell me Sonoda, why are you doing this?!"

"It wasn't just friendship you know. And these games have gone on far too long. We never should have forced the fauns out in the first place."

"More than friendship…?! Sonoda, you-!" He choked on his own words momentarily, but Umi admitted that it was amusing to watch him.

"There's no point hiding anything now."

The body was gone. The only thing remaining on the first was a metal tip from the arrow and the ashes had blown away into the wind. She felt her chest tightening before the weight lifted off of her, suddenly satisfied.

' _You're finally free of fear, Kotori.'_

Jerking her head towards the men behind the general, she instructed them, "You don't want the whole forest to catch alight, do you? Stomp it out now."

She stepped back, allowing the general some room, "She's gone. You can go ahead now."

"Tch." He didn't appreciate being told what to do from a treasonous murderer, "Very well men."

As the fire was put out, everyone turned back to her. "You know that there's no way out of this, don't you Sonoda?"

"I am fully aware."

"I'll be taking you in then. Sonoda Umi, you are hereby under arrest for murder and treason."

"Of course. Just after I do one more thing though."

"No, you will be coming now. This has gone on long enough and we have all of the charges we need."

"I think I hold most of the power right now general. Besides, the other thing is just a little bit of karma catching up to you."

Without hesitation, she let the arrow go, piercing it into Akiyama's chest. Giving her one final incredulous look, he choked up his own blood and fell onto the floor in an undignified fashion.

And yet she felt nothing but a small amount of satisfaction. It was better than spitting on him whilst he was alive at least.

"I was going to die anyway, why not get some revenge for all of those undeserving fauns you killed?" Throwing her bow onto the floor along with her quiver, she placed her hands behind her back, "I'll go peacefully from now on."

One man who had recovered from the shock of what happened, swallowed and stepped forward and with shaky movements made his way behind her, avoiding her gaze, pulling out his handkerchief and tying her wrists together. It was makeshift, but it would do.

"M-Matoi, Toshino, y-you take General Akiyama's body… Th-the other two of you take Tsunemori… I'll be fine with Sonoda."

"A-are you sure…?"

"I promise no more danger will be posed by me." Umi looked to the ground, keeping her composure. She'd come this far. She refused to break now.

As she was led off through the trees, she watched the ground, feeling the accusing, burrowing stares of the men around her. But she couldn't care less, this was how things would end. Her family would crash and burn with her. And with a somewhat bittersweet feeling, she was fine with that.

"Ladies and gentleman, I regret to inform everyone that we have run into some difficulties," As one of the men waved a member of the authorities over, he listened and began to part the mass of people, arranging a crowd around the search party, Umi and the two bodies being carried through to avoid panic.

She remembered very little, the time passed quickly as she brought one foot in front of the other. The next thing she knew, she stepped into a dark cell.

"We need time to explain what happened and make it public. We don't know how long you'll be here, but there'll be no doubt the city will be out for your blood, Sonoda."

"I don't doubt that at all."

 **Author's Note:** Okay, I'm sorry! This was the way it was intended to be from the very beginning, from the planning stages! And I felt really bad when I saw all the reviews going 'I hope Kotori is gonna be okay'!

But I'm sorry, I really am, it hurt to kill her off. But as I said, me and my friend had this planned for a while. In fact, it's mainly her fault it turned out this way.


	7. Chapter 7

Umi was rudely awakened by the clanging of the metal bars sliding open, sitting up and squinting at the figure that had appeared there, accompanied by two guards.

"Stand up and face me."

Swallowing, she stood up, rubbing her eyes to confirm what she already knew. Her father had graced her with his presence, but she got the feeling he wasn't here with friendly intent.

"The charges against you are murder and treason."

"Well, if the glove fits," She shrugged.

"I raised you better than this."

"Better?" She scoffed, "If by better you mean indoctrinated, ignored and treated like an object then yes, I was better."

Suddenly, a balled up fist connected with her nose, snapping it as she stumbled back, but not collapsing. Squeezing her eyes shut, she brought her hand up to her face, catching the blood before it could drip too far down. Her eyes watered, but she didn't let any tears out.

"Assaulting your own daughter. How befitting and proving of my point," She looked back at his face, her eyes now adjusting to the darkness, she could see his face, contorted by anger and hatred.

"But still, my own daughter," He hissed, "Not only a murderer of two higher authorities, but in an illicit relationship with a _female_ faun. If there's one thing you have that runs in this family, it's nerve, I'll give you that."

"I admit both charges. And on the second one, I don't care what you or anyone else thinks."

"You've created one of the biggest scandals of the past God knows how long! And me and your mother are paying for it."

Umi could do nothing but shrug, wiping her nose over her arm, leaving a streak of blood. Her father looked at her with disgust and she returned the hostile eye contact.

"You feel nothing? You feel nothing for those that raised you? All your respect is gone?"

"Respect? I never had any for you in the first place. I was a pawn, an object for you to use to continue the family and have connections. And I know that you always wanted a boy as well. I was never good enough for your full attention, was I?"

All of a sudden, she was shoved against the wall with a thud as the stones dug into her back. He had an arm over her neck, putting pressure on it to deprive her of air slowly, "I could kill you right now. Nothing would change, the scandal has already made us nothing and no one would miss you at this point."

"But the city wants justice, doesn't it?" Despite her hands being free, she didn't move them, knowing the guards on the other side of the bars would step in. She didn't want to make this worse for herself, "Let the people have what they want."

The corner of his mouth twitched and he backed off, allowing her to breathe properly again, "You know the punishments. On both charges."

"Of course I do."

"Then I'll see you bleed. We all will."

"And you're the first to cause me to."

Grinding his teeth, he shuddered as he stalked out of her cell without another word. A nagging thought in the back of her mind told her that her father may truly love her, but that was quickly suppressed by the pain pulsing through her nose and the blur at the corner of her eyes confirming that tears were flowing yet again.

A few shorts moments later, the shadow returned and her father's voice reached her again, "Umi, Sonodas are not known for their tears. Toughen up."

"Well," She let out a quiet, bittersweet laugh, "I refuse to be one."

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep for, or how long she'd been in that cell. There were no windows and the underground was stifling; the guards outside refused to give her any information whatsoever and she was given no treatment for her broken nose. She rubbed some of the streaked, dried blood on her arm and face off, wincing every time she knocked the broken bone slightly.

After she felt herself becoming somewhat stir-crazy, a woman slid the door open as she lazily stood to attention, "Sonoda, today's the day you'll be judged."

The two guards slid into her cell, holding iron shackles. As they were fastened into place on her limbs, she sighed when she began to get pulled along, trying her best to get adjusted to the weight.

Dragged out into the sunlight, she squinted and directed her head towards the ground. It would make sense for the trial and judgement to be delivered during the daytime for the hungry crowds.

Finally out of the prison's walls, she realised she would much rather be back inside. Hordes of people had gathered outside, harsh jeers reached her, which only intensified at the sight of her. She decided it would be best to look at the ground and put one foot in front of the other obediently.

"Hey, Sonoda!" She tried not to jerk her head towards the voice, but she couldn't help but tilt her head in the direction, "Since you love fauns so much, you'll love this!" Out of the corner of her eye, red liquid flew at her, causing her to flinch away, but that did little to dodge as it covered her clothes are bare skin, flecks hitting her face and neck and soaking into her hair.

Making the connection between the heckler and what had hit her, she realised.

It was a faun blood that had been thrown at her. Suppressing the urge to vomit, she saw that no authority figure had gone to stop him or punish him.

' _That's the way things are.'_

Some stones were thrown at her from her left, by a group of elves ranging from barely older than her to barely younger than her. A few stray ones hit their mark, one grazing her nose and sending a shot of pain through her.

' _That's what society taught them.'_

If only the walk would stop soon. If only the crowd could fade, if only everything would end. But mostly, if only Kotori could come back.

If only she'd taken more action. If she had to spend the rest of her life being hunted because she disappeared during the games, then so be it. But Kotori probably wouldn't have wanted her to throw her life away. But still, she should have insisted… Things could have been different.

Finally, she trudged up the wooden steps, hearing them creak under the weight of herself combined with the shackles. Shoved forward, she stumbled and almost fell before steadying herself. As she looked up, a man clad in black faced her, parchment in hand with a disapproving frown.

"Sonoda Umi, you have been charged with two counts of second degree murder, of Tsunemori Ryoichi and Akiyama Takehiko and treason, admitting to consorting romantically with a female faun. How do you respond?"

"I accept both charges," She called over the raucous crowd.

"So you plead guilty?"

"I do," She wanted to rub at her arms to make the ugly flakes of blood fall off, but her hands were locked in chains, forcing her to remain dirty.

"Then I am forced to sentence you to two forms of punishment. Bring her forward," He jerked his head towards the guards, who forced her onto her knees with little effort. Her head was tilted up forcibly, making her look forward. She heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed behind her and she swallowed.

Jolting at the feeling of someone touching her ear, she soon felt cold metal pressing against her flesh and as the roar of the crowd intensified, she felt a moment's reprieve from the blade before it came down harshly, slicing through tough cartilage and severing the pointed tip. Biting her lip and squeezing her eyes shut, she refused to gratify the crowd. They were already seeing her suffer, they didn't need to hear her and she wouldn't let them.

Blood ran down the side of her face, making her wince as it mixed with the faun blood thrown over her previously. Hissing, she felt the bloodied blade move to her other ear as the other throbbed painfully and soon the blade fell again, but almost on purpose, it stopped midway so the guard had to slowly hack through the remainder of the flesh, not being able to stop herself from twitching and shaking violently as nausea and pain pulsed through her.

She was allowed a moment's rest, looking back down at the wooden stage before the man clad in black spoke up again, "The first punishment for treason has been carried out. Your second punishment is death," Her breath hitched; she knew that was going to be declared, but all the same it was far more shocking to hear it rather than just anticipate it, "You will be given two options. Either you can have your life taken by an executioner, via beheading, or you can commit an honourable suicide."

The crowd suddenly raised in an uproar, mainly consisting of people shouting, "She doesn't deserve any honour!" And a few elves even had to restrained by guards. But now she had her options, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

She wanted to piss off the crowd, quite frankly.

She tilted and turned her head towards the judge, "I'll take honourable suicide," She could have mustered up a smirk, but she felt like that would throw her chances of being allowed that kind of death out, so she decided to play it safe.

"Very well," The executioner (who did look quite disappointed, she thought), came forward with the key, removing the shackles on her wrists and letting them fall with a resounding clank. Rubbing at her reddened arms, the blade used to hack off the tips of her ears was placed beside her, smeared, but she grabbed the handle in a tight grip, raising herself up properly. At least the fact that her legs were shackled meant that the convulsions during death wouldn't cause her to end up in an undignified position.

She looked forward, past the crowd, her eyes blurring and her heart hammering in her chest, she held the blade before her stomach.

' _If there is some hope of seeing her again, please, please let it happen. Her voice, her eyes, her everything… Please let me see her again. If there is a being who can grant that wish, I beg them to do so…'_

With her thoughts finally going blank and what she perceived to be her final prayer faded, she plunged the blade into her stomach, a sudden agony spread through her body, stopping the edge in its tracks as more blood poured from her system, but this wasn't a wound that would kill her quickly. Feeling something rise in her throat, she lurched forward, choking and spitting blood onto the grimy stage, leaving a coppery taste in her mouth, as she managed to block out the chants and cheers from the crowd at her impending demise.

It was time to finish this, she thought, using the sharp edge to cut through her skin lower into her gut, and as her body was torn apart and her organs spilled, everything finally went black.

* * *

"Elichi, you've been sulking for a few days now. Instead of just moping, maybe you should change your viewpoint?" Nozomi sighed, lying next to Eli, snuggling into the back of her and laying a hand on her shoulder, she rubbed it gently.

"I already have, I just feel horrible…" Eli turned over to face Nozomi, and in response, Nozomi cupped her cheek and stroked it with her thumb gently.

"Hey, well, that's better than being bigoted, right? I'm sure Umi put more than she meant to into what she said to you," At Eli's sigh, she continued, "I'm sure she'd be willing to forgive you. She probably knows how you feel."

Eli brightened up a little at her words, a small smile appeared on her face, "You think so?"

"Of course," Nozomi leant up and planted a kiss on her forehead before she rolled over to stand up, "C'mon, we need to go foraging, yeah?" Offering her hand down at the now less moping Eli, the other smiled and took it, hauling herself up.

"Sure."

The two rarely split up during their foraging, remaining in the same clearing and checking with each other to make sure what they picked wasn't poisonous. Even if they weren't sure, they wouldn't take any risks.

"I'm not going far Nozomi, if you need me I'll be in the next clearing."

"Okay!" Nozomi nodded and glanced at her so she knew the direction she would be in and threw up a hand sign.

As Eli trudged into the next area, things continued as normal, she foraged and checked for new areas to move their camp, should they need to, as well as noting where dry wood was.

Until suddenly, a stench caused her to wrinkle her nose in disgust, like someone had slaughtered an animal and left it there, not bothering to take out any meat, just let it die with its entrails hanging out. Clearing past a bush towards the hard to detect smell, she let curiosity drive her, but she soon regretted it when she saw what lay in front of her.

Umi's body had been unceremoniously dumped into the forest in the state she had died in, minus the shackles. A party had taken her deep into the forest to avoid the people finding her and mutilating her body as the authorities didn't doubt they would, and left to rot. Thankfully, that process hadn't begun yet, but it gave off a foul scent nonetheless.

Eli turned pale, a wave of nausea hitting her and she stumbled backwards, soon hitting a tree which provided just enough support for her. She barely knew what to do, but in her panicked state, she weakly called out for Nozomi to come quickly.

"Elichi? What's wro-" Nozomi joined Eli with a quiet sigh, before she yelped and shuddered, her reaction almost mirroring Eli's, up until the point she began to retch behind the tree. Eli quickly spun around and held her hair up.

"H-hey Nozomi, come on…" She gently rubbed her back until she stopped and it was replaced with sobs wracking her body instead. Eli slowly lead her away, far enough so that Umi wasn't in view and brought her into herself, holding her tightly, feeling Nozomi's hands grasp at her clothing, "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't h-have called you over…"

Nozomi didn't reply for a moment, but feeling Eli stroke her hair despite how much the both of them were trembling managed to calm her down at least a little bit, "E-Elichi… What… Wh-what do you think happened…?"

"I-I don't want to think about it Nozomi… We can't leave her there though…" She felt Nozomi nod weakly against her chest, "How about you go and lie down for a moment? We'll send her off properly, okay?" At another nod, she gave her a light squeeze before Nozomi split away and trekked off back to the camp.

Pushing down any nausea inside her, she swallowed and turned back to the body that lay in the clearing, hardening herself before she knelt beside her, placing her hand over Umi's cold one, "Hey, Umi… I know that… Things didn't go well before… But the last thing you said to me was… Powerful, t-to say the least… I regret the way I spoke to you, I really do... "

"If you were alive right now, I'd like to think you'd forgive me for how I acted," A shiver ran up her spine as her eyes flicked over her bloodstained clothes and torn up lower half, "You… Y-you weren't a bad person, Umi…" Finally, the emotions bubbling up in her chest became too much for her, her voice breaking as she managed one final sentiment.

"Umi… I'm sorry."

They left the controlled filames burning, careful as to not let it set the forest alight. It had hurt, but Eli had taken responsibility to spend the most time handling the body. Nozomi had spoken very few words since they'd discovered her, but Eli understood, holding her close and clearing her tears away from her face.

"Elichi…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that maybe we'll meet in a happier timeline? Me, you, Umi and the Kotori we never knew?"

Eli shuddered as she sighed, rubbing her own stinging, reddened eyes, "I hope so. We won't remember this, but maybe I can make it up to Umi."

As the stench of smoke overtook the one coming from the body, the ashes blew away and eventually the silhouette of the body had vanished. Eli took it upon herself to snuff out the flames, not caring if she got a few burns in the process. It felt like she owed it to her in some way. When the deed was finally finished, the two silently made their way back to the camp, forgetting about their foraging.

Eli sat, mulling over everything in her discordant mind, trying to make sense of what had happened and that she should have treated Umi better. It was quite possible all elves weren't the same, yet she'd shoved that aside for reasons of self-loathing and a twisted world view. But she didn't intend to go into the city and apologise. She only had one elf she needed to apologise to, and she was gone.

Nozomi must have been mentally exhausted from the ordeal, as she had fallen asleep quite quickly, or either Eli had been thinking for so long. Shuffling over, she stroked her hair slowly, "Sleep well, Nozomi."

Looking up through the tree canopy at the starry sky caused her eyes to blur with tears and her voice to break, "Sleep well, Umi."

* * *

 **OMAKE:**

"Kotori-chan, I got you!"

"Aah, that's not fair, Honoka-chan!"

As the ginger girl ran away cheerfully, despite Kotori's protests, she was alerted to the presence or someone else behind the nearby tree, via a twig snapping. When she turned her head, something dark blue jumped out of view behind the large trunk.

"Is something wrong Kotori-chan?" Honoka asked having climbed her way on top of a metal frame, presumably to keep out of her reach and she already had her escape route planned down the slide nearby.

"Just a second!" Gingerly making her way over and laying her hand on the trunk, she peeked round to be greeted with the sight of a timid-looking girl. The two of them froze for a moment, disjointed memories suddenly flooding back into only one of them.

Honoka, who had quickly gotten bored with just waiting for Kotori to finish… Whatever she was doing, she tapped Kotori on the shoulder, snapping her out of her stupor with a quiet yelp, "Hey, Kotori-chan, who've you found?"

Kotori opened her mouth to answer before promptly shutting it again, and realising that she wasn't going to get an answer from either of them, Honoka spun to the other, "Hey, do you want to join us? I'm Honoka, and this is Kotori-chan!" Offering her hand and a bright grin to her, the blue haired girl anxiously took her hand and quietly responded.

"I-I'm Umi…"

Umi was promptly dragged out from her area of refuge and towards the middle of the park, but Kotori didn't follow for a moment, instead turning and smiling as she watched the two of them.

' _So this time, Umi's the one hiding behind the tree.'_

* * *

 **Author's Note:** *Falls over and screams* I DID IT! I FINISHED IT!  
I'm sorry for all the suffering, but I'm so happy I finished this! Oh wait, I have that other thing that I'm pretty much halfway through finishing the next chapter. I knew I shouldn't have published that one so soon. Oh well, thank you for sticking with me, and whether you hate my guts for killing off Kotori and Umi or not, I thank you all.

If anyone wants to talk to me, or just generally interact with me, then feel free to follow me on my Tumblr (made pretty recently), which can be found on my profile.


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